Bayside Community Church

Bayside Community Church

October-November 2017

The Thrill of HOPE

Christmas is upon us and so the bells rings;

oh the thrills of hope and the joy that

Christmas brings. In a world where hope is

elusive and uncertainty abounds, the story

of Christmas promises peace on earth,

justice for the oppressed and comfort to

the afflicted.

As we look forward to Christmas, I am

reminded of the story of Elijah in the Old

Testament narrative of 1Kings. Elijah was

one of the many ordinary people that God

used to do extraordinary things. A story was

told of how he prayed that it should not

rain and the heavens dried up for three and

half years. He prayed again that It should

rain and the heavens pour. Elijah’s exploits

is one of those awesome things we would

like to be able display at a public square to

prove that God is as real today, as He was

then. After all, James the brother of Jesus

described Elijah to be as human as any of

us.

Elijah’s Story

Elijah’s story wasn’t only just one of

mountain top experiences. He like us also

had significant valley low moments. A story

was told of a time after a great display of

God’s power, where Elijah literally called

down fire from heaven. He had perhaps

hoped that such an amazing exploit would

turn the hearts of the king and the people

of Israel back to God. Rather than turn to

God, the Queen, Jezebel and all Israel

remained resolute in their anti-God

attitudes. The Queen became irrevocably

determined to kill Elijah. Like a gazelle,

Elijah ran for his dear life. The people’s anti-

God attitudes led Elijah into a deep state of

melancholy, depression and perhaps even

self-pity. “I have been so zealous for God,”

he cried, “…but the people have rejected

God,” he exclaimed, “ and I am the only one

left,” he thought. He even prayed for God

to take his life.

Try imagine what could be going on in

Elijah’s mind. Try to put yourself in Elijah’s

shoes for a moment — even if you feel it’s

too big a size for you. Imagine those

moments you’ve shown extra-ordinary

kindness to people but it has gone

completely unnoticed. The times you’ve put

much effort into helping others see God

and wondered if it was worth the effort; the

sense of disappointment that seems to

often come after moments of significant

breakthrough. Like Elijah, we can also

sometimes sink into moments of hopeless

perspectives and attitudes.

Welcome to Bayside Community Church

Ola Odejayi. Lead Pastor

ola@baysidecc.com.au—0414299474

The Silent Whisper

But then comes the silent whisper, the still

small voice that ushers in the thrill of hope.

God’s Spirit works in ways that is beyond

our imagination. How He responds to us in

one moment, may not be how He would

answer at other times. God didn’t just

comfort Elijah, He showed him the dawning

of hope. No, Elijah was not alone, there

were 7000 others that God had preserved

in his own sovereignty to show His love and

mercy. And there was Elisha, who would

later take Elijah’s place. Besides, Elijah

didn’t actually die, he was taken to be with

God on a chariot of fire — Oh the thrills of

Hope.

Friends, when we come to the end of

ourselves, God always shows himself strong

and graceful. Hope dwells in the presence

of power and grace. Think about it, why

hope in a graceful God with no power,

beauty or glory. This is what we see

through Elijah’s story. The thrill of hope is

not just in the truth that God will fulfil His

promises. Even more so, like a seed, we

learn to consistently die to ourselves so

that God’s beauty and glory might be made

alive in and through us.

Hope is a Person

The thrill of hope dawns on us when we

embrace the truth that dying to ourselves,

opens us to step into God’s best for us. Like

it was with Elijah, so it is for us. God’s silent

whisper rings loudly in the Scriptures.

The writer of the Hebrew letter reminds us

to look for no other sign than Jesus. God’s

silent whisper calls us to fully embrace the

Lordship of Jesus, to act justly towards all

people, to give a loving welcome to

everyone, including people who work

against us. We do so being assured that

nothing we do for God is ever in vain.

This is the spirit within which I’d like for us

to receive and reflect on our Refreshed

Core Values. As we pray over them, edit

and rephrase as the case may be, may they

renew our resolve to make much of Jesus

even in times of limited resources. May

they point us back to dwelling in God’s

Word and to take hold of His promises.

May they revive in us a sense of missional

urgency, renewed strength and vigour.

Our hope is not an idea or a concept.

Hope is a person and his name is Jesus.

You are so loved,

Ola

Our Refreshed Core Values

Lordship of Jesus

We believe this to be the main thing. We are called to be lifelong friends of

Jesus and to submit our lives to passionately and selflessly display the

generosity, beauty and glory of God.

Philippians 2:5-11; Ephesians 1:15-23; Colossians 2:6 -20; John 3:22-30; Psalm 119

Joyful Worship

Joy matters. Worship matters. In the high and low seasons of our lives, we

believe that finding lasting joy in Jesus gives us hope, strength and peace.

Romans 12:1-2; 1Peter 1:3-12; Colossians 3:16-17; Philippians 4:4-8,

1Thessalonians 5:16-18

Grace Oriented

We encourage truthful conversations shaped by grace. We believe that

through grace-oriented biblical teachings and leadership, lives, families and

communities will be transformed.

Ephesians 2:6-8; 1 Timothy 3:16-17; Matthew 22:36-39; John 1:14-18; John 17

Hospitality & Justice

We are called to live beyond ourselves and not for ourselves. We seek to give

a loving welcome and act justly towards all people irrespective of their

diverse background and cultural heritage.

Micah 6:8; James 1:27; Psalm 67; Hebrews 13:1-3; John 1- 4, 3 John

Intentional Relationships

We are compelled by God’s love to see everyone as God sees them. We

intentionally seek to be an authentic and refreshing presence locally and

globally and to invite people into a life-changing friendship with Jesus.

Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:44-47; 1Peter 2:9; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20

Enabling of the Holy Spirit

We are part of something bigger than each one of us. We appreciate diversity

of gifts as the blessing of God’s Spirit. This includes cultivating a culture of

honour and love through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 12:1-10; Ephesians 4:11-13, 1Corinthians 12; 1Corinthians 13; Hebrews

10:23-25

Helpful questions for reflection

After reading at least two or three Bible references for each value,

use these questions for your reflections, prayer and comments.

Are these values biblical? — Do they provide a biblical vision for

Bayside?

Do these refreshed values help us to further clarify who we are and

why we do what we do as a local Church?

Which top three values speaks to you the most?

Would these values inspire us to continue to make a meaningful

difference locally and globally even in times of difficulty and spiritual

blockage?

Why do you believe each value is essential to the life and future health

of Bayside?

Our Refreshed Core Values Creativity & Innovation

We are created in God’s image to be creative. We take faith-filled risk

and prayerfully evolve and improve all we do, seeking biblical and Spirit-

inspired ways of bringing out God’s best in each other.

Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 3:23-24, Exodus 35:30-33; 1Corinthians 9:19-23;

Acts 17:16-34

Why Values?

Core values are the values we see as most important to us as a local

church. They transcend style, theological differences and heritage. Our

values articulate who we are and who we desire to be whilst keeping

us accountable to each other before God.

Core values are the building blocks on which we build our lives, our

relationships and our actions. A church’s values answer the

fundamental ministry question: Why do we do what we do? Core

values help us set vision and direction. They help us clarify why we say

‘Yes’ to some things and ‘No’ to others.

Proper core values are foundational; they are the essence of what

makes a great church. Tell me the core values of the church and I’ll tell

you about your church.

Core values should be central to how we make decisions and the

practical outworking of relationships in a church. Core values give a

voice that helps us define our vision. Core values are not nice

sentiments, rather they are declarations of what we value most and the

reflection of how we proclaim the Lordship of Jesus (Adapted from

various sources)

Biblically rooted passion is often a reliable test of whether a value is a

core value. As a local church, we cannot do everything equally well. We

always need to be wrestling with questions such as — What are the

particular characteristics and ministries we sense God has uniquely

called our church to exhibit and embrace? Among the many good

things we’ll do as a church, where would we centre our energy and

passion?

We want to be an authentic community of people

of all ages, cultures and backgrounds, connecting

and growing together as lifelong friends of Jesus.

Let’s celebrate along the way!

CONNECT · SERVE · GROW · GIVE

What an encouragement it

was to gather together in

the COLA at 9.50AM to

read from the Bible before

the AM service during our

recent series on 1

Corinthians.

A great opportunity to

CONNECT relationally to

grow spiritually.

As was enjoying breakfast

together one Sunday in the

series as worship in the

context of a meal together.

And so are Friday nights at

Crosseyed—a safe space for young

people to find authentic relationships

and discover what friendship with

Jesus looks like.

CONNECT · SERVE · GROW · GIVE

When the women at Bayside (young and

older) were asked to consider hosting a

baby shower for a Homebush West mum

and her friends at the Arthur Street

Centre there was great enthusiasm for

the opportunity to SERVE and be a

refreshing presence. They planned,

decorated, set up, cleaned up, provided

food, a celebration cake and gifts and

joined the fun. It was a very practical

way to share our love of Jesus with these

new friends.

CONNECT · SERVE · GROW · GIVE

We were also able to SERVE and be

a refreshing presence to disabled

children in China by supporting

International China Concern’s

annual Walk the Wall fundraiser. 14

Baysiders and 3 dogs walked and

rode with the Jones family around

Sydney Olympic Park. And many

gave financial gifts. All up Baysiders

gave $1270, which is more than

money—it’s love, hope and

opportunity for a child.

Being a refreshing presence in our city & world

Be One Make One

CON-

CONNECT · SERVE · GROW · GIVE

Over the last 12 months or so, 12 couples have taken up

the opportunity to GROW in their marriage relationship

and be equipped to bring out God’s best in each other by

working through The Marriage Course.

'We take the time to do all sorts of seminars and courses

at work to improve ourselves and learn new skills and

enhance our abilities and

relationships in the

workplace.... but then we

don't seem to do that so

much with our marriages,

even though they are

actually so much more

important!' (Participant)

For many years now Bayside has been a refreshing presence in the local

Newington Community by encouraging and supporting carers of young

children through mainly music at the Community Centre, and teaching

kids how much God loves them in KLAG scripture classes at the primary

school.

Find out more about

mainly music by contacting Rhonda 0411712369

KLAG by contacting Amanda 0432842866

❖❖❖

CONNECT · SERVE · GROW · GIVE

As we learnt from the Corinthians

series, we’re all uniquely wired by

God to make a difference in our

church and circles of influence. The

‘Discover’ workshop helped a

number of people—even those who

are long-time friends of Jesus—to

GROW and be equipped to explore

their spiritual gifts, abilities and passions. It was exciting to

see a number of youth keen to shape their faith journey by

getting involved with the workshop.

When we GIVE of our time, ourselves, and our resources we’re

acknowledging the beauty, generosity and glory of God. How

heartening to see people keen to get involved with the Hospitality

and Connection team and teams to help shape events. ❖

Taking the time to pray about and reflect upon our refreshed core

values as we are doing now, declares that we want to be part of

the journey and future God has planned for Bayside. ❖

We can also declare that we GIVE ourselves to God through

Baptism. Have a chat with Ola if you’d like to consider

that step in December.

❖❖❖

Bayside. One Church. Multiple Expressions

❖❖❖

Bayside AM Sundays 10AM at Concord West Public School*

*378 Concord Rd (just off Homebush Bay Drive, Rhodes end)

Parking in Queen Street.

Planning a visit?

We know that sometimes it can be hard

to visit somewhere new. We'll do our

best to make your time with us pleasant.

On arrival, you will be welcomed by our

friendly welcome team. They will

introduce you to a few folks and help you

get comfortable.

We usually all come together around

10am in the school hall for a time of

celebration, singing, prayer, Bible

reflections. Because we really love for our

time together to be welcoming, engaging,

inspiring, fun and meaningful, we aim to

make our bible teaching easily relatable

and applicable to everyday life. We will

sometimes include something creative to

do. Please feel free to sit back, relax, and

just watch and listen if you’d prefer.

Our gatherings are often in two parts.

The first part goes for about thirty

minutes and the second part for about

forty minutes. We often take time in

between to have morning tea (we call it

'Meet & Greet.') You are invited to enjoy

good food and coffee or tea.

If you have kids, we have a Sunday kids

group called KidZone (for pre-schoolers

to Year 5) and a Sunday youth connect

time called Crosseyed Sundays (for Years

6 to 9). These usually run after morning

tea. Our welcome team or the teachers

and helpers will be glad to take you and

your kids to the right places to join the

fun.

We’d love to meet you. We value your

time and we are really honoured that you

choose to spend Sunday morning with us.

You are so loved.

Mark Falson. Pastor for Maturity & Connection

mark@baysidecc.com.au—0423201261

Amanda Faase. Worship & Media Coordinator

amanda@baysidecc.com.au—0423842866

Rhonda Lin. Children’s Ministry Coordinator

rhonda@baysidecc.com.au—0411712369

In October—Hot Topics

In November

Refugees &

Asylum Seekers

8th

Domestic

Violence

29th

Highs & Lows

of Singleness

15th

Indigenous

Affairs

22nd

David’s Story. Why is David described as

a man after God’s heart? 5th & 12th

Values and Vision Refresh 19th

Annual Celebration

Annual Church Meeting & Lunch 26th

Eat Out Sleep Out for Homelessness

Socks & Beanies Drive

Christmas Puddings for the Vinnies Van The Easter Egg Hunt

Sundays 6PM in a café in Wentworth Point

Contact: Melinda Cooper

melinda@baysidecc.com.au

Are you looking for an

expression of Christian

spirituality that is different to

the norm?

Breathe is a diverse community of

people who are working out what it

means to live the way of Jesus

together. Our aim is to be good news

to anyone who encounters us!

You are welcome to join with us in

community, to explore how

following Jesus might make a real

difference to you. Together we

reckon we can be a brilliant force for

good in our neighbourhood and our

world.

Our conversations are designed to

help us grow in our spirituality and

how we live.

We grapple with questions such as,

How does spirituality shapes our

everyday live? What makes people

truly happy and joyful? How do we

make sense of the problem of pain

and suffering? What does it really

mean to be loving? Where do we

find real meaning, fulfilment and

significance? What does it mean to

know God and follow Jesus?

Breathe chooses not to meet

together on the last Sunday night of

each month. We call that weekend

of the month our Exhale weekend.

It's when we prioritise connecting

with others beyond Breathe to build

new friendships, help out in our local

community, and serve those in need.

It is another way we try to stay true

to the way Jesus lived.

FRESHPOINT

1st & 3rd Thursdays at 7.30PM

Arthur St Centre*, Strathfield-Homebush West

*59 Arthur Street. Parking and entrance in Fraser Street

Contact freshpoint@baysidecc.com.au

We’re in the exciting early ‘prep’

stage of exploring what a new

expression of Bayside would look like

amongst the communities of

Homebush, Homebush West,

Strathfield and North Strathfield.

We’re trying to discern and listen to

what God is doing in the world

around us and how we can partner

with God to reach out to people.

You’re invited to come on the

journey—whether you’ve been part

of the Bayside community for a while

or you’ve just walked through the

door today!

How are we going to get the ball to the

other side of the room with a bit of string?

Connect at CROSSEYED

Fridays from 6.45-9pm,* for everyone in Yrs 6-12

59 Arthur Street, Strathfield-Homebush West*

Tom Burton. Youth Worker

tom@baysidecc.com.au—0450625963

*Arrive from 6.30pm. Parking and entrance in Fraser Street

www.baysidecc.com.au

email connect@baysidecc.com.au

office 59 Arthur St, Strathfield—Homebush West

phone 90293024

facebook @ buildingcommunity

Let’s Keep in Touch